St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-12-12
HOUSEKEEPING IN GERMANY.
Ways That Seem Strange to Us
Who Live in America.

In many respects it IS much easier to
keep house" in Germany than i'll
America. German girls are strong and
willing. and move along in the same
routine, never flying off at a tangent. as
the best Irish girl is prone to do at most
incOnvenient seasons, says Good House
keeping. The houses are almost all
apartment houses. with rooms all on.
one floor. No washing is done in the
house, not even the dish towels. Well
regulated German families have; the
washing done once in three months
only, but the American residents, not
having such a supply OF linen, send out
the washing once a week. The ''wasch
frau comes in from the country with
her small cart, drawn by dog. and
with a huge basket on her own back.
The prices are small. the family wash
ing for our family of eight costing but
about - a week.
None OF the bread is made in the
house. There is a bakeshOp on every
corner. and the bread is brought to the
door every morning. The rolls are like
the French rolls, and are delicious. The
''Zwei-back'' or twice baked bread is a
small slice Drowned on each side i'll the
oven. which makes it very crisp. The
black bread comes in long lOaves. Ger
tainly half yard long. 1t is very nu-
trtiOuS. and my children are very fond
of it. 1t is the universal custom to
give each servant on pound of coffee
and one pound OF sugar a month,
and half a pound of butter a
week; also a certain amount of
black bread daily. This they
use for their own consumption. The
cook does the marketing and is perfectly
Trustworthy. Everything is bought i'll
small quantities, and there is almost
nothing left over from one day to an
other. Nothing is wasted, and it is quite
a study to see the various tempting ways
in which remnants are worked over
Pieces of chicken. ham and beef are all
chopped together, and all sorts of meat
cakes and cOquettes are made. \ very
nice pie is made by alternate layers of
this chopped meat and sliced potatoes.
the top being covered with bread
crumbs and the whole baked for half an
hour.
The kitchen is the prettiest room in
the house. The white porcelain stove
with its bright saucepans, the dishes
ranged around the room in dreSSers, the
plants in the windows. and, above all
the cleanliness that prevails, combine
to make the room most pleasant pict-
ure. A servant never objects to doing
anything that is asked. Backing the
boots is a part of the regular work of
the second girl. have several times
seen a servant out on the sidewalk help
ing to bring in the coal. If an errand is
to be done the girl always goes out
bearheaded, even going to market with
nothing whatever for head gear.
The bed rooms have their peculiari-
ties. The beds are narrow and short.
Besides large feather pillow there is
hard. wedge-shaped pillow under
meath, which causes you to sit up.iD !
bed. Nothing will persuade German
girl to leave it off. Nightly you remove
it, nightly it reappears. The top sheet
is tied on to sort of pillow which is the
sole cOverlid. 1t would be comfortable
if it were larger and not so fat, bat it
never will stay where it belongs: If
you pull it up over your shoulders your
feet stick out: if You cover your feet
your shoulders are cold, and if you turn
i'll bed it slides off altogether.